Hobo Flash Mob’ sweeps through Bakersfield

Bakersfield, Calif. — Susan Thorp was headed to her car after a long day of shopping when a large group of bearded men shot out from the alley on 21st St. Was she under attack? Perhaps that was her first reaction. But when the group of men started to dance, she was certainly surprised, to say the least.

“I didn’t know what to think,” she said. “I asked around about it, and apparently some guys made it up to promote their web series.”

The idea was instigated by two filmmakers from Shreveport, La. — Josh Munds and Johnny Walker — as an effort to promote their new series, “Unemployed.” The plot centers around two dim-witted friends who are desperately seeking employment in “all the wrong places.”

Ryce “Buckles” Schmidt, a homeless man in the Bakersfield area, said he was happy to help.

“I don’t have a DVD player or internet, so I can’t watch the web series,” he said. “But they gave me a DVD. They also gave me a Happy Meal and some extra cash, so I was happy to help.”

Throughout the weekend, the flash mobs were spotted all over town. Onlookers captured the excitement with their cell phones, and some even started dancing themselves.